Over 3k Form One places still available

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent—

More than 3 000 boarding places are still available for Form One that can only be accessed through the Government’s newly-introduced electronic Ministry Application Platform (e-MAP), Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora told Parliament recently.Dr Dokora said the move from the manual system of enrolment to online registration had faced a glitch at the beginning.

He said the challenges have since been rectified.

The minister said the application process had proved to be user-friendly as it was accessible from any information centre and one could even apply through smart phones.

“So far 63 percent of those that have accessed boarding places have gone through online. There are still some vacancies for about 3 000 to 4 000. The pressure was greatest in schools like Goromonzi, Rusununguko and Anderson in the Midlands and so on. At Goromonzi a total of 1 085 students applied to get in there and they only have 105 places. So you have these kinds of huge numbers at St Faith for instance, we have over 850 candidates and all they have is 120 places,” he said.

“The schools that still have openings are the schools that you see when you go online. In Manicaland, for instance, the schools are; St. Killian’s, Regina Coeli, Makumbe High, St Patrick’s, Biriiri, Nyakatsapa, Chikore and Gedion Mhlanga. In Mashonaland Central; Mavhuradonha High, Chinduduma 2, St Phillips, Amai Mugabe High, Mary Mount Mission High, Nyamatikiti High, Mushumbi Government High still have places. Then of course let me look at Matabeleland North, there we have; Marist Brothers, Inyathi, Tsholotsho High, Binga Government High, St James High and David Livingstone High. In the Midlands; Chaplin, Pakame and Nashville are still enrolling. In Bulawayo Milton, Townsend, Northly, Eastview et cetera still have places.”

Dr Dokora was responding to a question without notice from Zvishavane-Ngezi legislator John Holder last week regarding enrolment of Form Ones using the online e-registration platform.

He said Grade Seven was like a litmus test paper to measure intelligence of the students in terms of numerical, languages and general knowledge hence all pupils should proceed to Form One despite the number of units they attained.

“Twenty-four thousand pupils are the ones who can acquire boarding places but 305 000 are day scholars. So, all the students are proceeding to Form One. This is the largest volume of children getting into Form One because it is a measure of success on our policy that there is no child who is not allowed to proceed to Form One even if parents are complaining about school fees,” said Dr Dokora.

“We want these children to continue. Many of them have survived and that is why we have these figures. At the same time, I also said there are about 4 500 students who were married or impregnated. We will meet them through the non-formal education policy.”